- The GB Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) delayed the Chief Minister’s elections.
- Police surrounded the GB Assembly and barred lawmakers from entering.
- GB Inspector General Dar Ali Khattak has been removed from his post.
GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) on Wednesday delayed the election for the new chief minister citing procedural irregularities.
Governor GB Syed Mehdi Shah issued directives to stop the election after the court’s order. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member of the GB Assembly Haji Gulbar Khan requested the court to halt the election.
A day earlier, the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court had disqualified former chief minister Khalid Khurshid on charges of submitting a fake degree to obtain a license from the region’s bar council.
The PTI had nominated Raja Azam as the party’s candidate for the slot and claimed it had a majority to secure the post. The PPP has nominated Amjad Advocate, PML-N nominated Engineer Anwar and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam nominated Rehmat Khaliq.
The region’s top court issued a statement halting the election and said Chief Judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan ordered that the election be adjourned.
The judge also ordered GB Assembly Speaker Nazir Ahmed to present a new election schedule in court tomorrow with at least three days given for the election. He directed that assembly members should be informed about the election schedule through the press, TV or detailed notice.
While presiding over a hearing, the judge asked why the election schedule for today was announced in such a hurry, especially when a no-confidence motion was submitted against the speaker.
The court said it was necessary to advertise the election schedule through television, newspapers, radio and gazette publications. It also noted that it was necessary to notify the members of the assembly about the election by post.
Earlier today, police officials entered the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and sealed the premises while evacuating journalists and lawmakers present.
A heavy police contingent headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Farman Ali entered the assembly hall and sealed it. The police encircled the premises and also barred lawmakers from entering.
In another development, Gilgit-Baltistan Dar Ali Khan Khattak was removed as the GB inspector general and replaced by Afzal Mahmood Butt, who is presently serving under the Government of Punjab. The Establishment Division issued a notification over the police officer’s transfer.
The PTI l decried the move to deploy police outside the assembly’s premises. PTI leader Farrukh Habib said that “political engineering” was underway in Gilgit-Baltistan
He said that the chief minister election had been postponed in light of the PTI’s “clear victory”, adding that such steps were increasing “instability”.
